1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems and methods of loading and unloading a vehicle and, more particularly, to an in-car crane product or assembly kit for installing inside vans and station wagons with a cargo hatch door, without having to make modifications such as bolting it to the body of the vehicle, enabling loading and unloading of cargo by one person, safely.
2. Description of Related Art
Loading of cargo that is too heavy to lift by one person can be a problem with vans and station wagons with a roof and a cargo hatch door at the rear of the vehicle, especially when using hoists or cranes mounted outside of the vehicle and the roof interferes the loading, or when there is not even a hoist or a crane. In these cases, assistance from another is required to load the cargo, and, it may lead to accidents such as dropping or pinching of the hands may occur.
Furthermore, unavailability of a method to load and unload a wheelchair by oneself limits the range of activity of the user of the wheelchair.
In-car cranes such as Japan Pat. 2010-47416, Japan Pat. 2004-35238, Japan Pat. Heisei 9-315778, Japan Pat. Heisei 6-56388, Japan Pat. Utility Model Heisei 7-35486, and Japan Pat. Utility Model Heisei 5-35476 have been presented, however, these are all rigid-structured cantilever cranes mounted on truck beds for loading cargo.
Although Japan Pat. Heisei 11-79668 is compact and therefore suitable for installing inside vans and station wagons, it is a rigid-structured rotating cantilever crane where the crane must be bolted on to the floor of the vehicle's body with enough durability because the load and the bending momentum of the cargo concentrates on the attachment on the floor of the vehicle.